Dual directional film reel



J. E. RooKus DUAL DIRECTIONAL FILM REEL March 16, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheei 1 Filed Aug. 20 1951 INVENTOR. dmvas 2 209x05 March 16, 1954 J. E. RooKus 2,672,336 DUAL DIRECTIONAL FILM REEL Filed Aug. 20, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 A/ 2 52 g gffl 5/ O i 52 45 1 INVENTOR.

. c/AMEJ A: EOOAMS' March 16, 1954 JQE. RooKus 2,672,336

DUAL DIRECTIONAL FILM REEL Filed Aug; 20, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. dame-.5 1 foo/r445 Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUAL DIRECTIONAL. REEL James. E, Ru kus, d. Rapi s, M h.- Application August 20, 1951, Serial N 0. 242,592 4 Claims. 21172.17.)

This mvention relates to motionepicture prqjeee tion equipment and; more particularly to, the structure of the reels from which the film is withdrawn and uponv which the film iswound during' projection.

It is current practice to provide a projector with apair of shafts, one of which. is driven and causes the reel mounted thereon to roll up, the film after, it has passed the projecting lens. Another reel is mounted for free rotation on the other shaft and from this reel the strip of film is. withdrawn by the projector mechanism as the film passes thev projecting lens. l'hefilm onthe supply reelis withdrawn from the outside of the. coil of film wrapped thereon and is stored on the driven reel by coiling the film upon itseli about the hub of the reel. This operation results in a reversal of the strip of film, end for end, whereby it is necessary to rewind the film before it can be projected again. Ihis rewinding operation is carried outv at a relatively high velocity, compared to theprojection operation. The result is appreciable wear upon the film due to a double winding operation for each projection as well as the wear attendant the high velocities employed in the rewinding operation. This wear greatly increases the tendency of the film to break as well as materially increasing the time necessary between projections of the film.

This invention provides a mechanism operating upon the (inside unwinding) principle. During the projection operation the film is wound upon the reel in the conventional manner. However, the film is supplied to the projector by withdrawing it from the inside of the film reel whereby the film will be projected from its lead end and the fact that the film was reversed during the winding operation becomes unimportant. This not only eliminates the wear attendant the rewinding operation but it also eliminates the time necessary for rewinding and makes the film immediately available for reprojection.

The principle of inside unwinding is not. new and many efforts have been made to develop a satisfactory mechanism for efiecting it. However, considerable diificulty has been encountered in the withdrawal of the film from the inside oi the storage spool due to binding, jamming and tearing of the film as it passes through the leading mechanism utilized to guide the film from the inside of the roll; of film to a position where it can pass through the projector. In 0 7 16.! to. withdraw the film from within its coil, it has, been conventional plastics to p o ide an exit r ller s osed on an ai isv at a considerable angle to. the plane of the film coil. This roller is located within the initialv opening of the coil and has given rise to most of the difiiculties. experienced. Attempts to overcome this difficulty have resulted in large complie cated mechanisms both expensive to produce and not readily adaptable to existing projection equip ment. One of the serious difficulties encountered has been the tendency of the film to pull tightly about the inner guiding studs resulting in high tension loads and breakage of the film. has largely been due to the numerous, sharp changes in the direction of the film as the film is removed from the inside of the coil. It often occurs that the film will become snarled as it uncoils, resulting in damage to the film. I

Existing mechanisms designed to effect inside unwinding frequently attempt to. rotate the spool of film by rotation of its supporting structure rather than by withdrawing the film from the coil. This results in a complicated mechanism which not only is un at s ac ory bu is adapted to use upone xisting equipment.

My invention provides a series of rollers for engaging the innermost coil of the film upon which the film rests. By the use of these rollers the film is free to rotate under the forces result; ns from the. withdrawal of t m rom the inside of the coil. In this manner a minimum amount of pull upon the strip of film is required to overcome the inertia of the coil of film and the friction between the film and its supporting structure. Inasmuch as I mount my film ver-.

tical'ly the film will normally rest upon only two.

free rollers. This further reduces the effort necessary to rotate the entire coil of film.

:It s, therefore, a pri y object f m ieven: tion 119 Provide means which will smoothly uncoil a strip of film from the inside of a coil without damage or breakage to the film itself.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide such a mechanism in which the rotation of the coil of film as it is unwound is. effected by the Withdrawing of the film itself from the coil.

It is another object. of my invention to provide a-me hanism r remov n f l f om t e i id of he oil which lead the film lone a path. o such hape tha then-1m may race this ath w thout exeessive bendin and without re u rin xces i e mi 1.

It is a fur he bject f my invention to provide such: a mechanism which is. readily adaptable o existing projection equipm n wi h ut m difie n of the equipment tself- It is a further additional object oi 1ny-inven-.-

1 t on to provide such a mechanism which is simpie and will operate with reels of conventional size and design.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be immediately seen by those acquainted with the design and construction of photographic equipment upon reading the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic presentation of the path through which the film travels as it passes through a projector.

Figure 2 is a side, elevation view of the outer disc of my film reel with the conversion cap in place.

Figure 3 is a side, elevation view of the outer disc of my film reel with the conversion cap removed.

Figure 4 is a sectionahelevation view taken along the plane IVIV of Figure 8, with the conversion cap in place.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the same plane as Figure 4 with the conversion cap removed.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane VIVI of Figure 8.

Figure 7 is a side, elevation view of my invention taken alon the plane VIIVII of Figure 8.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of my invention taken along the plane VIII-FIII of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an oblique view of the conversion cap for my invention.

Figure 10 is an oblique View of the mounting fitting for my invention.

Figure 11 is an oblique view of the film guide for my invention.

In executing the objects and purposes of my invention, I have provided a mounting support adapted to be afiixed to the shaft of a conventional projector, upon which shaft is normally mounted the supply reel of film. This support is equipped with an inclined roller over which the film is guided from the inside of the film coil to a guide which aligns the film with the conventional equipment for carrying the film past the projection lens. On this support is mounted a non-rotatable reel having free rollers forming the film coil Support and a special opening on each side. One opening is for the passage of the film to the incined roller and the other i for access to the film when threading it before projection is initiated. The reel is provided with a rectilinear central opening whereby it may be mounted upon the film winding shaft and be driven for coiling the film after projection when the reel is so used. A cap is provided for use when-the film is being wound upon the reel to provide a firm support for the film as it is coiled. This cap is removed when the reel is placed in feeding position and the film is to be withdrawn from'the center of the coil. This cap also adapts the reel to standard equipment when inside unwinding is not employed.

In the following description the terms inwardly and outwardly will be frequently used and are to be taken to mean inwardly toward the projector or to the right as the reel appears in Figure 8 and outwardly away therefrom, except where preceded by the word radially. The terms forwardly and r'earwardly are also freely used and are to be taken to mean forwardly" and rearwardly toward the projection lens of the projector to the left of Figure '7 and rear- Wardly away therefrom.

'In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a free or film supply reel from which a strip of film 3 passes to a driving mechanism 4 and then past a projection optical system 5. The film 3 returns to engage the driving mechanism 4 and is finally wound upon a driven reel 6. The indicated path of travel of the film 3 is one of many different arrangements which are conventionally employed and all of which may be used with my invention. The reels employed by my inventionmay be used for either feeding or receiving the film and may be mounted without modification of the shaft provided on standard projectors for these reels.

The reel I consists of an outer, circular disc In and an inner, circular disc ll concentrically joined by a small, tubular hub I2 (Fi ure 8). The inner and outer discs are spaced apart sulficiently that a strip of film of the size for which the reel is adapted may be received between them without contact from either disc. The outer disc in has a circular central aperture I3 (Figure 3) andthe inner disc a square central aperture l4 (Figures 4 and 5). The size of the apertures (3 and I4 is such that the reel 1 may be mounted directly upon the spool shaft of any conventional projector. An integral part of the outer disc I!) is the circular, center portion l5. Radially outwardly from the center portion I5 are a plurality of openings it, each having a curved, radially inward wall ii, which walls, as a group, define the central portion l5. A further opening I8 is provided in the outer disc ll) similar to the openings it except that it extends substantially into the center portion l5 and has an arcuate leg portion 19 extending between one of the openings (6 and the center of the outer disc (Figure 3). The opening 18 and its leg portion is serve as an access opening for threading the film when the reel 1 is mounted for unwinding.

The inner disc II is quite similar to the outer disc it except that it has a larger center portion 20 equipped with three equally spaced, circular apertures 2| and an elongated apertur 2 la (Figures 4 and 5). The center of each of the apertures 2i and of the aperture 2| a is located radially inwardly of the wall I! of the center portion 15 of the outer disc 10 for reasons which will be explained under Operation.

The conversion cap 24 is cup-shaped, having an annular end and a circular peripheral flange 25 (Figure 9). The flange 25 is provided with four, equally spaced, notches 26, each of sufficient width to receive one of the spokes or legs 21 separating the openings I 6 and 18 of the outer disc it. The notches 26 are of such depth that the annular end of the cap will almost seat against the outward face of the outer disc and the free end of the flange 25 will almost contact the inner disc ii. The notches 26 each have a slot 28 extending to one side adjacent the annular end of the cap for seating the legs 21 when the cap is rotated with respect to the outer disc ill. The flange 25 has a relief 29 between each of the notches 28 to permit each segment of the flange to expand when the cap is inserted into the reel l.

The reel I, when the film 3 is to be removed therefrom, is mounted on the support (Figures 6, 7 and 8). The support Bil includes a circular plate ii, preferably of the same size as the discs ill and H. The plate M has a pair of inwardly directed, upwardly converging ears s2 for engaging the bracket 43. The ears 42 are centered about a vertical line passing through the center of the plate 4i and spaced a short distance upwardly of the center; An outwardly extending shaft Miismountedat the center ofitheplate-H; for receiving the-reel l. The: inward portion of the shaft at is non-circular for engaging the aperture I4 and preventing rotation of. the reel.

Adjacent the shaft 34, but to the. rearward thereof, is an opening. 45, the lower end of which is formed into an inwardly directed, upwardly inclined lip it. The inward inclination of the lip lii. is preferably about 45. The lip dais-also upwardly inclined in a rearward direction but at a minor angle. This lip supports a shaft. per.- pendicular thereto. on which shaft is mounted the roller 41 for free rotation. The roller A! extends through the opening as: with approximately one-half thereof on each side of the plate 44. When the plate M is mounted on. the projector, the roller l! is to the side of the shaft 44 away from the optical system. 5-.

Mounted to. the plated 5, below the roller cl and adjacent the forward. periphery of the plate M, are the aligning rollers 53 (Figures 6, 7 and 11). The aligning rollers 48 are mounted for free rotation on shafts secured to the Ll-shaped'v clip 49-. The clip 49 is securedto the plate 4! by a pair of ears 5b. The axes of the rollers 33' are horizontal and the rollers are aligned with the film track of the projector.

From the outward side of the plate all there project four rods M. The rods 5! are arranged in a. circle. of lesser diameter than that of the cap 24. Each of three of the rods 5| are aligned with one of the apertures 2! through the inner disc H. The remaining rod 5! is aligned with one end of the aperture 2 la. On each of the rods 5| is mounted, for free rotation, a roller 52' having alength substantially equal to the spacing between the outer disc It and the inner disc ii. The rollers 52 have a flange 53 at each. end, which flanges are spaced apart by a shank ii of the proper width to seat the size film for which the reel is designed (Figure 8). The rollers 52 may be made with flanges of different thickness to provide a shank 5d of the correct width for the size film with which the reel is going to be used. Thus, the reel may be adapted to either 8 or 16 millimeter film. These flanges 53 are tangent to a circle having substantially the same diameter as the inner face of the fiange'25 of the cap 24. The purpose of this will be explained more fully under Operation.

The plate d! is mounted by the bracket 43, which bracket has upright tab 56 for seating between and engaging the cars 42 (Figure The tab St has a pair of parallel, vertical edges 80 for contacting the ears 52 when the support 49 is mounted as shown in Figure '7. The tab til also has a pair of parallel, inclined edges 8! for engaging the ears s2 when the bracket is rotated 45. By using the edges M, the support may be held vertical, as shown in Figure 7 although the bracket as is rotated. A second pair of parallel, inclined edges 852 permit the bracket to be in clined oppositely to that of the edges 8!. Thus, the bracket 43 may be rotated 45 either di rection from the position shown in Figure '7 without changing the position of the support at. This provides clearance for tightening the screw 64 when the bracket is used on projectors having overhanging obstructions above the shaft 53. The ears diverge sli htly downwardly whereby the tab Bil will become wedged between them to limit downward movement of the plate 4|. The bracket 53 has a U-shaped offset having a pair of aligned holes 6i and 62. The hole 5! in the inward leg of the offset is square and. the hole 62 in. theloutward leg; of the offset. isround. (Figure This adapts the bracket 43 for mounting 10). upon thestandard spool shaft. 63-: of a conventional projector (Figure '89-. Inwardly of the offset, the bracket d3'has athreaded hole. for receiving a screw 64: (Figure 8) to secure the bracket to the shaft 63;

Thevarious parts of my-invention may be made from any suitable material. Preferably the cap 2t and the reel 1 are fabricated of aluminum. The clip 49 and bracketv 43' are fabricated from. steel to resist bending; The rollers 41, t8 and 52 are preferably made from. brass to reduce wear. The rollers 47, 48 and 52: are each so made and mounted that they may rotate freely and will: impose a. minimum of drag upon the film 3;

Operation.

To initially wind the film upon my reel, the reel may first be used as the driven reel 6 upon which the film is wound after passing the optical system 5. When my reel is so used, the cap 24 is first secured to the reel. To mount the cap, the notches 26 are aligned with the legs 210i the outer disc I it and the cap until the legs 27 engage the bottom of these notches. The cap 24 is then rotated to seat the legs 2:! in the slots 28. As so mounted, the flange 25 provides a hub upon which the film is wound.

Upon operation of the. projector, the film 3' is coiled within the reel in the same manner as upon any conventional. film reel.

When all the film has been wound on the reel, the reel is removed and placed upon the support til by seating it upon the shaft 44 with the inner disc. 5.! against the plate M. Engagement between the square hole I l and the square portion of the shaft 64 holds the reel against rotation with respect to the plate M. The size of the cap 24 is such that itwill hold the film 3 radially outwardly of the rollers 52' and permit the coil of film to pass over the rollers 52 without snagging.

The cap 24' is now rotated to disengage the legs 2'! and then withdrawn from the reel. The removal of the cap 2% freesthe coil of film which will adjust itself vertically to seat upon the top pair of rollers 52. The inner end of the film, that is, the lead end of the film since it has been reversed in the projection process, is grasped through the access opening is and threaded rearwardly over the exit roller 41. (Figure 7). The plane of the film is rotated approximately between the last roller El and the exit roller M". The film 3 makes approximatelya turn about the exit roller ll and moves forwardly toward the guide rollers id. As the film passes from the exit roller t? to the guide rollers :13 its plane is again rotated 45 in order to compensate for the initial 45 rotation given to the film inside the reel. The rotation of the film between the exit.

roller and the guide rollers: returns the film to its former horizontal plane with the face up. By mounting the exit roller ll on approximately a 45 angle of inclination and having it extend a substantially equal distance each side of the inner disc H and the plate M, the film is guided out of the reel without excessive rotation about its central axis. Further, the film is caused to exit from the reel using only a single roller. Only four rollers are used to guide the film from its position in the coil into the normal film track of the projector. This simplification of the film path and. guiding equipment. greatly reduces the wear imposed on the film as compared with other pushed into the reel structures designed to accomplish the same purpose.

The film passes over the forward one of the guide rollers 48, making approximately a 200 bend and thereby reversing its direction. The film then passes over the rearward one of the rollers 43 making approximately a 180 bend. As the film leaves the second of the rollers 48, it is aligned with the film track of the projector and thereafter traces substantially the same path it would have traced had it been withdrawn from a conventional reel requiring rewinding.

The offsetting of the reel l outwardly from the projector, by means of .,the bracket 43, permits the film to be withdrawn from the center of the reel I and then aligned with the conventional film track of the projector with a minimum number of directional changes in the film path. Since the film is being withdrawn from the center of the reel I, it must first be led to side in order to take it out of the reel. This necessitates offsetting the reel from the normal film track of the projector. By my invention, the film is simultaneously led out of the reel l and aligned with the projectors film track. This simple arrangement reduces wear and drag on the film as well as simplifying the entire mechanism.

As the film is withdrawn from the coil in the reel I, the open center of the coil enlarges and the coil drops downwardly so that it rests only upon the upper pair of rollers 52. The radially innermost coil and at times one or two more adjacent coils will be pulled firmly against the rollers 52 by the pull exerted on the film 3 as it is withdrawn. This, however, is normally relieved.

When all the film has been withdrawn from the reel I, the reel l is removed from the support 40 and the cap 24 is again put in place. The empty reel is now ready for use again as a winding reel to take up film as it is projected.

It will be recognized that my reel is so designed that it may be used either for inside unwinding or in the conventional manner. When the film is withdrawn from the outside of the coil, the support 40 is dispensed with and the reel is mounted directly upon the shaft 53. By placing the cap 24 on the reel, the film may be wound upon or unwound from the reel in the conventional manner. If the strip of film is particularly long, the same result may be accomplished by removing the cap and winding the film directly upon the hub l2. The cap is only essential when the film has to be passed over the rollers 52 of the support -40.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be recognized that numerous modifications of my invention may be made, each without departing from the principle of my invention. Each of these modifications is to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. In a leading mechanism for unwinding a roll of tape from the inside thereof, said mechanism comprising: an apertured vertical support; means holding said support against rotation; a plurality of horizontal rollers mounted on one side of said support for free rotation; said rollers being arranged in a circle concentrically of said support and spaced substantially inwardly of the periphery of said support; a substantial portion of said aperture in said vertical support being radially inward of said rollers; a flange attached to said support at the lower end of said aperture, said flange projecting away from said horizontal rollers and inclined upwardly at a substantial angle to the horizontal in a direction away from the axis of said rollers and at a minor angle in a direction away from the center line of said support; an exit roller mounted on said flange and perpendicular thereto for free rotation; a pair of guide rollers mounted on said support adjacent the periphery thereof and projecting outwardly therefrom in a direction away from said horizontal rollers, said guide rollers being positioned on the opposite side of the vertical center line of said support from said exit roller; a reel having a pair of spaced radially extending walls, said reel mounted concentrically on said support and held against rotation with respect thereto; said reel having a plurality of first openings for receiving said horizontal rollers and a second opening for receiving said exit roller and through which tape may pass from the inside of said roll to said exit roller.

2. In a leading mechanism for unwinding a roll of tape from the inside thereof as described in claim 1 wherein the radially extending wall of said reel remote from said support defines a plurality of elongated openings arranged in a circle and separated by radially extending spokes; a cup-shaped cap; the walls of the sides of said cap defining a plurality of notches, each of said notches aligned with one of said spokes and each elongated adjacent the closed end of said cap for receiving one of said spokes when said cap is rotated with respect to said reel; the diameter of said cap being a circle tangent to the radially outward periphery of said horizontal rollers.

3. In a leading mechanism for unwinding a roll of tape from the inside thereof, said mechanism comprising: a vertical support; means holding said support stationary; means mounting a plurality of tape supporting rollers for free rotation to the outward face of said support; said tape supporting rollers being horizontal and arranged in a circle concentric with said support; a reel mounted to said support against the outward face and concentrically thereof; means holding said reel against rotation; a plurality of openings through the inward face of said reel for receiving said tape supporting rollers; a removable, cupshaped cap receivable into said reel through the outward face thereof; the diameter of said cap being a circle tangent to the radially outward periphery of said tape supporting rollers; an inclined exit roller mounted upon said support; said exit roller extending partially into said reel within the area defined between said tape supporting rollers; guide rollers mounted on said support and spaced from the vertical center line of said support oppositely from said exit roller.

4. In a leading mechanism for unwinding a roll of tape from the inside thereof and adapted to be mounted on a film projector having a film track and a first shaft for mounting a film delivery reel and a second shaft for mounting a film receiving reel, said mechanism comprising: a vertical support; means for mounting said support to said first shaft outwardly from said projector and said film track, said means holding said support stationary with respect to said projector; means mounting a plurality of film supporting rollers for free rotation to the outward face of said support; said film supporting rollers being horizontal and arranged in a circle concentrically of said support; a reel mounted to said support against the outward face and concentrically thereof; means holding said reel against rotation; a plurality of openings through the inward face of said reel for receiving said film supporting rollers; a removable cup-shaped cap receivable into said reel through the outward face thereof; the diameter of said cap being a circle tangent to the radially outward periphery of said film supporting rollers; an inclined exit roller mounted upon said support; said exit roller extending partially into said reel within the area defined between said film supporting rollers; guide rollers mounted on said support and spaced from the vertical center line of said support oppositely from said exit roller,

said guide rollers aligned with said film track of said projector.

JAMES E. ROOKUS.

Number Name Date McNeel June 13, 1 16 Tervas June 9, 1925 Wittel Feb. 13, 1934 Hoover Nov. 5, 1935 Sunell Sept. 9, 1941 

